Combined refrigerator and air conditioner



n 1965 E. H. PATRICK 3,166,912

COMBINED REFRIGERATOR AND AIR CONDITIONER Filed Jan. 17, 1964 4Sheets-Sheet l 6 6 2 6 EARNEST H. PATRICK Fl6.2 BY

Jan. 26, 1965 E. H. PATRICK COMBINED REFRIGERATOR AND AIR CONDITIONERFiled Jan. 17. 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. EARNEST H. PATRICK RATTORNEY FIG.4

Jan. 26, 1965 E. H. PATRlCK COMBINED REFRIGERATOR AND AIR CONDITIONERFiled Jan. 17, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG.9 F|G.1O

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ATTORNEY FIG.11

United States Patent Ofifice 3,166,912 Patented Jan. 26, 1965 3,166,12CGMBINED REFRIGERATOR AND AIR CONDITIGNER Earnest H. Patrick, 83148 N.Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, Fin. Filed Jan. 17, 1964, Ser. No.333,423 6 (Iiaims. (Cl. 62-7} This invention relates to a combined airconditioner or space cooler and a refrigerator, and more particularly toa device of this character which can be successfully used inautomobiles, boats or other vehicles.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device of this characterwhich can be easily installed in a car or other vehicle withoutrequiring extensive alterations or modifications thereto or presentinginstallation problems. It is an object of the invention to provide adevice of this kind which has no moving parts, with the possibleexception of the blower used for cool air distribution. It is an objectof the invention to provide a device which is not only capable of usefor cooling the interior of the vehicle, but which can be employed forthe cooling or refrigeration of foods, milk, drugs, medicines and manyother products.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device of this kind whichwill obviate the use of a compressor or other mechanically-operatingdevice likely to impose a load on the engine of the vehicle; and toprovide a device which will operate efiiciently for the life of the caror eventually outlast the car, and which will permit of the easy removalfrom one car and its placement in another when desired.

More particularly the invention contemplates the provision of a coolingdevice which employs one or more cooling coils, with such coil or coilseach provided within it with concentric, spaced passages, and means forsuctionally causing the flow of raw gasoline through the innermost ofsaid passages; of means for vaporizing the gasoline within the coil orcoils and for causing a suctional flow of the vapor through the outercoil passages and in a direction opposite to the flow of the rawgasoline.

The invention contemplates other features to be set forth hereafter andmore particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment of theinvention is disclosed,

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view, with a portion of the front panel orcover broken away, of the combined air conditioner and refrigeratorconstructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2. is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line Z2 of FIG.1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 3-3 of FIG.1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing how the device is connected intothe automotive apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a view of one of the air valves;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view through an oil and air mixingdevice embodied in the invention.

FIG. 7 is a view of the inserted connection plate that is interposedbetween the carburetor and the intake manifold;

FIG. 8 is a partly sectional view of the air inlet means and thevaporizing arrangement;

FIGS. 9, l0 and 11 are sectional views taken respectively on the lines9-9; 101(l and 11-11 of FIG. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates generally the body of the casingor housing for the combined air conditioner and refrigerator. The sameconsists of a rectangularly shaped container or enclosure with the wallsthereof suitably insulated. The front panel 2 of the housing,constituting a cover member, is hinged at its lower end, as shown at 3,to the body of the casing and it is provided with a catch 4 at the topto hold it in its closed position as shown in FIG. 3. A handle 5 isprovided on the cover 2 near the top of the same and the handle permitsthe convenient opening and closing of the cover.

Provided in the cover or front panel 2 are several rotatable louvers 6,three being shown, and the same are usable when the outflow of cool airis desired, or when the device is used as a space cooler in the car. Therotatable mounting of these louvers permits the cool air to be deflectedin any desired direction. When the apparatus is being used only as arefrigerator, each of the louvers can be closed by an inserted disk orplug 7 placed in each louver opening 9 as shown in FIG. 3. A knob 8 isprovided on the disk or plug 7 and such knob facilitates the insertionof the disk in the opening 9 or conveniently permits its ready removaltherefrom.

Located Within the housing 1 and spaced inwardly of the walls thereof,is a refrigerating chamber 19 provided at the front with a door -11hinged to the body of the chamber it by hinges 12. When the device isused as a refrigerator, cans, bottles, food or other products to be keptunder refrigeration are stored within the chamber 10 into which they canbe readily placed by opening the hinged cover or panel 2 and thenopening the door 11 to thus have access to the interior of the chamber10. The goods to be cooled can also, if desired, be stacked in thehousing or casing 1 around the outside of the chamber 10.

The chamber 10 is encircled by several cooling coils, one of which isshown at 13 and provided with cooling fins shown at 14. The second coilis shown at 15 and is afiixed to the outer surface of the wall of thechamber 19 by a mounting plate 16. Each of the coils 13 and 15 isprovided with an inside tube, such tube entering the coil 13 being shownat 17 and a similar tube entering the coil 15 being shown at 18. Theseinside tubes 17 and 18 are connected to a fitting 24 as shown in FIG. 4and they convey raw gasoline to the two coils 13 and 14. The smallerinside tubes 17 and 18 are such that a spacing is formed between themand the outer tubes which form the bodies of the coils. Thus, each ofthe coils 13 and 15 actually has separate inner and outer passages, theinnermost passage serving for the conveyance of the raw gasoline in onedirection to points of vaporization, and the other passage serving forthe movement in the opposite direction through the coils of thevaporized gasoline.

The conventional carburetor for the automobile engine is shown at 20 inFIG. 4. The fuel pump of the auto mobile is disclosed at 21 and thegasoline line leading from the gasoline tank of the car is shown at 22,the line being provided with the filter 23. A fitting is disclosed at 24in the gasoline line, the fitting serving as a connection between thegasoline source and the tubes 17 and 18 which enters the coils 13 and 15that encircle the chamber 10. It is significant to note that the fitting24 must be located between the fuel pump and the gasoline tank and notbetween the fuel pump and the engine.

The source of vacuum for suctionally drawing the raw gasoline throughthe tubes 17 and 18 of the two refrigeration coils, is taken from theintake manifold, a portion of which is indicated at 26 in FIG. 7. T-ln'sis done by the employment of a special gas-to-air mixing adapter plate27 which is placed under the carburetor and between the carburetor andthe intake manifold. The vacuum from the engine draws the raw gasolinethrough the inside tubes 17 and 18 to a point of vaporization. Thispoint of vaporization shown at 19 in FIGS. 4 and 8, is locatedapproximately 4% inches from the end of the small inside tube. Locatedwithin the coils l3 and are the ends of an air and oil inlet tube 30provided with jet openings 31. As shown in FIG. 4, the tube 30 leadsfrom the oil and air supply sources shown respectively at 32 and 33. Theair entering here because of the engine vacuum, helps to start thevaporization of the raw gasoline which, in a vaporized condition, is nowdrawn back in a direction opposite to the raw gasoline flow through thecoils in the space between the inner tube 17 or 18 and the two outertubes which constitute the coils 13 and 15. Air vents are shown at 34and 35 in the tube 30. This arrangement is such that the raw gasolineflows through the fitting 2d and through the inner tubes 17 and 13 tothe vaporization points'19 where the air mixes with the gasoline toproduce vapor and the vapor thus produced flows backwardly through thecoils l3 and 15 around the outside of the inner tubes 17 and 18.

The tubing constituting the body of the coils 13 and 15 draws, by meansof the vacuum created by engine operation, the vaporized freezing agentor refrigerant, through the entire length of the refrigeration coils.The

tubing which thus forms the body of the coils, then taking 1 the form ofneoprene hose, is extended as indicated at 37 and 38 to connect to theplate 27 situated between the carburetor and inlet manifold as shown inFIG. 7.

After the vapor has performed as a refrigerant, the vapor continues onthrough the neoprene vacuum hoses 37, 38 to the plate 27 as abovementioned. Since the vaporized gas enters through this plate, which issituated beneath the carburetor, additional air must be provided to mixwith the vaporized gas in order to secure the proper combustion. This isaccomplished by means of the plate 27 into which an air supply isdirected through tubes 39 and 40 which lead from the carburetor intakeair filter shown at 41. Air-regulating valves are provided as shown at42 and 43. One of these valves is shown in FIG. 5 and it includes a stem5% bearing the heads or plugs 51 and 52. The stem is surrounded by aspring 54 passing through the adjusting bushing 55 and the stemterminates in the knob 55. Provided on the bottom of the housing orcasing l. is a blower 44 having its outlet in communication with theinterior of the housing by means of an opening 35 in the bottom wall ofthe housing 1. When the blower is in operation and its outlet is incommunication with the interior of the housing, the blower will direct ablast of air around the cooling coils to thereby cool the air which thenflows out through the louvers to thereby cool the interior of theautomobile. When the apparatus is used solely as a refrigerator, that isto say for the refrigeration of food or other goods contained in thechamber til or 'in the housing around the chamber, the outlet of theblower can be closed off by the use of the sliding valve or 'door shownat 46. Controls may blower and by means of which'the blower can beoperated at various speeds to secure the desired fiow of the cool airthrough the car or other vehicle in which the device is installed.

From the foregoing, the operation of the improved air conditioner andrefrigerator will be understood. The raw gasoline drawn through aninside passage within one be provided for the or more cooling coils iscaused to be mixed with air, or is vaporized after the gasoline hastraversed the length of the coils. At the point of vaporization locatedat the end of flow of the raw gasoline, the gasoline is converted tovapor and by the imposition of suction attained by engine operation, thevapor is caused to traverse the length of the coils in the space betweenthe inside passages or tubes i7 and i8 and the inner walls of the coils,the vapor being moved in a direction reversely to the direction of flowof the raw gasoline. The gasoline vapor serves as a refrigerant and verylow temperatures are attained within the housing 1 and chamber it), suchtemperatures being obtained within a very short period of operation ofthe device.

By directing an air flow around the coils through which the vapor fiowsand causing such air to be directed out of the housing through thelouvers, a flow of cool air is obtained within the interior of the caror in any other space required to be cooled by the device. Goods to becooled or refrigerated can be contained within the chamber and can also,if desired, be placed in the housing forwardly of the housing or aroundthe coils.

Having thus described a single embodiment of the invention, it isobvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broadenough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexedclaims.

What i claim is:

l. A combined air conditioner and refrigerator comprising, a pair ofcooling coils, a chamber encircled by the coils, one of said coilshaving convolutions contacting the surface of the chamber and the secondcoil being finned and spaced from the chamber, each coil having an outertube and an inner tube within it, the inner tube being spaced from theouter tube whereby a vapor passage is formed between the tubes, a sourceof gasoline connected to the inner tube to cause a flow of the gasolinetherethrough in one direction, means for vaporizing the gasoline atpoints within the coils, and means for causing a flow of the vapor thusproduced through the vapor passage in the coils, the latter flow beingsuctionally caused by vacuum created by engine operation, theconvolutions of one of the coils being located between the convol-utionsof the second coil.

2. In a combined air conditioner and refrigerator for automobiles, aninsulated housing, a chamber arranged Within the same and spaced fromthe wals thereof, a finned cooling coil encircling the chamber, meansfor causing a flow of gasoline through the coil in one direction, meansfor vaporizing the gasoline and forcing the vapor through the coil inthe opposite direction, the coil being divided into separate passages,with the raw gasoline flowing through one of the pasages and the vaporfiowin g through the other passage in the opposite direction, and asecond coil located around the outside of the chamber and havingconvolutions located between and spaced from those of the finned coil.

3. In a combined air conditioner and refrigerator as provided for inclaim 2, wherein a blower is provided externally of the housing fordirecting an air flow into the housing and around the coils, and louversare provided in a wall of the housing through which the cooled air canpass out of the housing.

4. In a combined air conditioner and refrigerator as provided for inclaim 3, wherein a plug is provided behind each louver, said plugs beingused to confine the cold air within the housing and being removable topermit the flow of cold air out of the housing.

5. In a combined air conditioner and refrigerator as provided for inclaim 2, wherein a valve is provided between the blower and the housingto regulate the flow of air from the blower to the interior of thehousing.

6. A combined air conditioner and refrigerator comprising, a coolingchamber, an insulated enclosure arranged around the cooling chamber andspaced therefrom, a pair of cooling coils arranged in the space betweenthe insulated enclosure and the cooling chamber, one of the coils havingconvolutions spaced away from the cooling chamber and having fins, thesecond coil having convolutions located betwen those of the first coiland spaced therefrom, and means for attaching the convolutions of thelatter coil to the surface of the cooling chamber.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,259,950 10/41Downs 627 6 2,43 8,594 3 48 Zapart 627 2,5 65,767 8/ 51 Gaskell 6272,872,790 2/59 Simpson 627 3,027,727 4/62 Farmer 627 ROBERT A. OLEARY,Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM J. WYE, Examiner.

1. A COMBINED AIR CONDITIONER AND REFRIGERATOR COMPRISING, A PAIR OFCOOLING COILS, A CHAMBER ENCIRCLED BY THE COILS, ONE OF SAID COILSHAVING CONVOLUTIONS CONTACTING THE SURFACE OF THE CHAMBER AND THE SECONDCOIL BEING FINNED AND SPACED FROM THE CHAMBER, EACH COIL HAVING AN OUTERTUBE AND AN INNER TUBE WITHIN IT, THE INNER TUBE BEING SPACED FROM THEOUTER TUBE WHEREBY A VAPOR PASSAGE IS FORMED BETWEEN THE TUBES, A SOURCEOF GASOLINE CONNECTED TO THE INNER TUBE TO CAUSE, A FLOW OF THE GASOLINETHERETHROUGH IN ONE DIRECTION, MEANS FOR VAPORIZING THE GASOLINE ATPOINTS WITHIN THE COILS, AND MEANS FOR CAUSING A FLOW OF THE VAPOR THUSPRODUCED THROUGH THE VAPOR PASSAGE IN THE COILS, THE LATTER FLOW BEINGSUCTIONALLY CAUSED BY VACUUM CREATED BY ENGINE OPERATION, THECONVOLUTIONS OF ONE OF THE COILS BEING LOCATED BETWEEN THE CONVOLUTIONSOF THE SECOND COIL.